Canadian forests could be world's best preserved

Canadian governments, companies and First Nation group have been preserving a greater percentage of their forests than any other country, making one American environment research group conclude that Canada's boreal forest is on its way to become the world's most protected forest landscape.

"It's already more protected, we believe, than any other intact forest ecosystem in the world - more than the Amazon, more than Siberia," Steve Kallick of the Pew Environment Group told The Vancouver Sun. "But we think it's on track to be way beyond what anybody's anticipating for those places."

Kallick will present his findings at the annual conference of the Society for Conservation Biology in Edmonton. He tells the paper that 4.4 million of Canada's 5.5 million square kilometres of boreal forests are intact and that if governments keep up with their environmental plans, three million square kilometres of that untouched forest could be protected.

By comparison, about two million square kilometres of the Amazon rainforest are under protection.

Still, Kallick cautions that the promises and agreements made by governments and industries still need to work out things like funding and timelines in order for Canada to be a global leader in protecting ecosystems.